A Pretentious Post

I so wished to pontificate and be viewed by the ecclesiastical authority as the indomitable challenge. One that could not be conveniently bogged down. The iconoclast has always been a quick success. Standing on a parallel pulpit, he is someone who has had an easy audience. While placating the enraged religious sensibilities, the heathen in him makes him appear as the hero of the age. The profane Crucifixion widen his halo and each time that he utters an idea, his worship spreads far and wide.

It isn’t God that the true believers of my age adore and shower faith on. They do so to his semblance whose necks they wreathe each time they enter the temples, mosques and the synagogues. Tethered to that finite universe of futility, the semblance keeps perambulating in a wilderness where believing in all that is available to the senses is the rigid norm.

What does then false religion mean in any given age? The false religion of all ages is true religion itself. Hence the attack on a living faith or the historiography of another that vanished long ago should be careful enough. What is being attacked or documented isn’t a system but a belief that preexisted and will always precede these attempts. This belief is one that is continuing. It makes us believe in either believing or not believing. One can analyse a faith only to be aware of all that lies beneath one’s own being. Writing this, I am vindicated of my faith in the right to believe that belief is nothing except a very important decision we take each passing moment of our lives. Believe in believing -you are pious in the eyes of the believer. Refuse to believe- you are a star!

Can then one dream of being a star and adorn the skies? I say yes..always. The example of the pontificating iconoclasts in there before us. Pulpits wait. They should not be left waiting for long!

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Published by Personal Concerns

Research Scholar at the University of Delhi. Studying Hindutva and Islamism in order to come up with a comparative analysis of the two social movements. Interested in Politics, Music and Literature!
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Sorry for the delay in replying. What you said is absolutely right. I appreciate the view. In the post however, the aim was to point at the quick attention that critics of faith tend to receive. Criticising faith and celebrating reason is a trend that seems to be as old as the idea of religion itself. In the contemporary scene this conflict seems to have taken a tremendously significant form. The supporters of logic and reason don’t seem to realise that even their world view is nothing but a result of having faith in a system of thought (say science). This is obviously a contested domain and I would not see myself as falling clearly on either side of the dispute because that dichotomy according to me is problematic.
Thanks for showing interest in this mediocre piece!

Not every rebellion earns a title of savior. It all depends upon the band of followers he keep & how they eventually manage to market the new idea. Some attain divinity that’s worshiped by generations to follow while some gets lost in the anonymity.

I respect all faiths that reciprocate this respect.
I myself profess and practise my own version of the Hindu faith, minus some customs, rites, ceremonies and rituals which I believe are no longer relevant.

I don’t agree with some Hindus who adopt a policy of “all or none” and question my practice. They say ” follow the shaastras in toto or else stop calling yourself a true Hindu”.

An orthodox co-religionist once told me that the shaastras are not a menu card from which one can pick and choose what to follow.

I have politely disagreed with him. I am happy to be a Hindu where the orthodox merely disapprove of my views but still accept me as part of the faith and not threaten to kill me for blasphemy.

A Pretentious Post Personal Concerns Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wished to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!

The amazing thing to read is that in almost every comment people say they respect the faith of another as long as it is peaceful and respectful. However, the actions of most defy this peace and respect. As we evolve it is sad to see how thoughts on religion and the past cannot evolve with them. As a Catholic it is terrifying to me that some hold a book to be of higher value than the person next to them. What should be enlightening times is ending up to be quite scary.